[May 05, 2014]

Colson Hicks Eidson Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit On Behalf of Victim Killed in Fatal Crash on the MacArthur Causeway

Attorney Ervin A. Gonzalez, partner at the Coral Gables-based law firm Colson Hicks Eidson, filed a wrongful death complaint in the 11^th Judicial Circuit Court in Miami-Dade County on behalf of the family of the late Dr. Malcolm Lloyd, passenger in the Lamborghini that was involved in a fatal car crash on April 24^th on MacArthur Causeway.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Solange Sandy Lloyd, the widow of Dr. Malcolm Lloyd, 42, and his two children, against Defendant Andres Esteban Toro, 53, the owner/operator of the 2012 Lamborghini Aventador that slammed into the back of a sports utility vehicle (SUV) on MacArthur Causeway around 2:50 a.m. on April 24^th, 2014, killing his passenger, Dr. Malcolm Lloyd. The wrongful death complaint alleges intentional misconduct, gross negligence, and a reckless disregard for the welfare of Dr. Lloyd.

According to the complaint, Toro was legally intoxicated while driving the Lamborghini in excess of 100 miles per hour, westbound on MacArthur Causeway, when he slammed into the back of an SUV that was stopped at a red light. The impact propelled the Lamborghini more than 100 yards into the air. According to investigators, there were no signs that the Defendant used his breaks before crashing into the stationary SUV. Lloyd died on the scene as a result of catastrophic injures caused by the accident. The Defendant's blood alcohol level, which was taken approximately 40 minutes following the crash, was 0.173, twice the State of Florida's legal limit.

"Excessive speed and excessive drinking are a lethal combination that took the life of a brilliant man and instantly made a beautiful wife a widow and two little boys fatherless," said attorney Gonzalez, counsel for the Lloyd family. "The Defendant's acts were reckless and despicable and cannot be tolerated in our society. We hope this case will bring some attention to the dangers of drinking and driving and deter others from acting in a similar manner."

Malcolm Lloyd was an accomplished Doctor, entrepreneur and a loving husband and father. He received a degree in biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins University and a medical degree at Dartmouth Medical School. Following medical school, he founded a healthcare information technology firm designing cardiovascular clinical trial for pharmaceutical companies. He later ventured into the distilled spirits industry utilizing his biomedical engineering background to distill vodka through diamonds and launched his own Vodka brand, Double Cross, and founded Old Nassau Imports, the importer for Double Cross Vodka.

Double Cross Vodka became the first Vodka to ever win gold medals for both taste and bottle design at the World Spirits Competition and received a rare 95-point rating from Wine Enthusiast. The investment firm Goldman Sachs named Lloyd as one of the top 100 innovators in the country for two consecutive years (2012 and 2013). Throughout his career, he volunteered at John Hopkins working with biomedical engineering students to develop new medical devices.

Dr. Lloyd, whose primary residence was in New York, is survived by his wife -- an accomplished Broadway actress and Juilliard School graduate -- and two children, Nicholas and Maxwell, ages one and five. He was buried in his home state of Maine.

The lawsuit demands judgment against the Defendant for all damages recoverable under the Florida Wrongful Death Act as a result of the death of Dr. Malcolm Lloyd.

About Ervin A. Gonzalez

A board certified specialist in Civil Trial Law and Business Litigation by the Florida Bar and the National Board of Trial Advocacy, Gonzalez is one the nation's premier trial attorneys and has obtained 32 verdicts in excess of a million dollars throughout his career. Many of his verdicts have been rated among the top verdicts nationwide and in Florida. He has also settled numerous multi-million dollar cases, including a $100 million class action settlement. Gonzalez currently serves on two national plaintiff steering committees, including the PSC for the multi-district litigation surrounding the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill and the PSC for the Chinese Drywall multi-district litigation. He specializes in personal injury, catastrophic injuries, wrongful death, medical malpractice, products liability, business litigation, class actions and consumer related commercial litigation. Throughout his career, Gonzalez has held numerous leadership roles, including serving as governor of The Florida Bar, president of the Dade County Bar Association and president of the Dade County Trial Lawyers Association. He is also a former member of the National Board of Trustees of The National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA) and the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). He has written many articles on various aspects of litigation and teaches litigation and trial skills as an adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Law, where he also graduated with honors (JD 1985). He is licensed to practice law in Florida, the District of Columbia, Texas, Colorado, and New York.

About Colson Hicks Eidson

The Law Firm of Colson Hicks Eidson is a trial firm with more than 40 years of experience handling local, national and international litigation. Partners at the firm have had the distinction of holding the following offices: President of the 60,000-member American Association for Justice; President of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers; President of the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers; President of the Dade County Bar Association; President of the Miami-Dade Florida Association of Women Lawyers; United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; and Chairman of the Florida Federal Judicial Nominating Commission. For more information, call 305.476.7400 or visit www.colson.com.

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